Fish Run And Hide

[toxik]

Heres what we have
5 glow light tetras (had 6,lost 1 a while ago)
2 neon tetras (had 6, lost 4 to unkown causes a while ago)
3 red eye tetras (just purchased)
2 juli corys(had 3, lost one, never found the body, dissapeared during vacation)
1 true flying fox (had 2, lost 1, same mystery as the cory)
4 kissing gouramis(under 4", had them since the begining)



In a 36 gallon bow front planted tank, stats are fine. 10 hours of light a day.

We have had this tank since January, I bought it for my girlfriend for valentines day. It started as a 29 gallon and they were very nervous, thought it was just because they were still in shcok from their new home. A few weeks went by and the tank cracked and was replaced by the current tank.

Out of all the fish only the glow light and neon tetras will come to the surface for food. The rest of the fish will lay low and hidden and not eat unless the room is empty. They have been like this, way before the tank was fully planted and gave them the ability to hide from us.

It's really dissapointing not being able to watch them do whatever they do when they don't hide.

I've been feeding them brine shrimp every so often as a treat but it doesn't seem to make a difference.

Any tips to keep them from hiding and become more active?

PS: The amazon sword is the best plant ever, I got one for $10 and it came with all the other babies in the tank which have tripled in size. Very hardy and easy plant to take care of.

 

[Lynden]

Lovely tank.

If you want to see cryptic fish, turn off the room light and slowly creep into the room. Reach over, grab the food, and put some in the tank, all the while keeping your body away from the tank. Find a good place to sit down which is at least 3' from the tank, sit down and don't move. The fish won't see you, and they can't hear you talk either, because their ears can't pick up our frequency.

-Lynden

 

[toxik]

You know.... That is exactly what I do, I feed them and sit on a fouton, that's a good 4' away.

If I'm lucky enough the kissing fish will come out and just stare at me. I never ever see my corys or ottos.. Forgot to mention I have 2 ottos, forgot about them because they never come out anymore, they used to be so active and now they're lazy. I feed flake, algea wafers and bottom feeder discs.

 

[Bullrock74]

One of the reasons I love cichlids is because they are not shy fish. They will come right up to you when you are near the tank. Some, like Oscars, will even follow you around like a puppy dog. But, cichlids have their downsides, too like ridiculous aggression while breeding. Of course, all fish are different, so there are no absolute truths.

 

[millym]

are you particularly noisy or heavy footed when you come in the room??when you do water changes/maintenance you may need to do things a bit more gently/slowly so your fish arent quite so edgy. ( sorry im just trying to think of reasons why your fish are particularly scared all the time).
maybe the trauma of being moved with your tank cracking has made them take a lot longer to settle than usual.
how about investing in some moonlights.....blue lights that come on just before your main lights go off for an hour or 2 in the evening. might give you a chance to see your shy fish. do a search on this forum theres lots of posts about them & theyre quite cheap( we got ours from ebay uk ) they look great!
ps: your tank is gorgeous

these are our moonlights.....actually looks much better in real life the pic doesnt do them justice.

 

[Qays]

my corries used to be very shy. They hid at the back, and whenever i went in the room, they would run away back into the shadows.

A week/2weeks later they started coming out, and now theyre great. nice and friendly

 

[mewhorse]

Somedays I just wish my fish would "run and hide" too! I sometimes feed them 2X a day cuz anytime they see me - even 5 minutes after feeding - they form a tight cluster against the glass and STARE at me demanding more now! I tend to have an algae problem because of overfeeding (although according to my little brats I NEVER feed them ever!) They are blackskirt tetras, neon tetras, 1 cardinal tetra, zebra danios, and tiger barbs that always need attention....also have a few otos that can be a bit timid but are usually stuck to glass just hanging out and a few corycats that basically ignore me....

 

[madmom]

Mine used to be skittish also. I'd go near the tank and they'd try to hide. Now they swim to the glass and watch. Even the cories. They plop themselves onto the top of the stump and watch and wait to be fed.

 

[PinkyPerky]

Somedays I just wish my fish would "run and hide" too! I sometimes feed them 2X a day cuz anytime they see me - even 5 minutes after feeding - they form a tight cluster against the glass and STARE at me demanding more now! I tend to have an algae problem because of overfeeding (although according to my little brats I NEVER feed them ever!) They are blackskirt tetras, neon tetras, 1 cardinal tetra, zebra danios, and tiger barbs that always need attention....also have a few otos that can be a bit timid but are usually stuck to glass just hanging out and a few corycats that basically ignore me....

I have guppies, mollies and platies and they are exactly the same. You just have to stand within a foot of the tank and they come to the front at the top. Even if you just sit in the chair nearest to the tank, they come over to that side of the tank.

 

[OohFeeshy]

It might be a good idea to get them to associate you with food more. Starve them for a few days, walk in and give them a tiny bit of their favourite food. Each time you walk in, give them a tiny bit more. Obviously don't give them too much. Eventually they should get the message

 

[Teelie]

All my fish come out when there is food but the cories and Kuhlies do shy away if they sense movement. One solution is to put sides on the tank so they only have one direction to see movement from which is the front. I have a tank in our foyer and it's done wonders to stop spooking the fish from seeing people coming from three sides of their aquarium.

Low lights and slow movements do help as well.